Click here to go to the next issue
Highlights Home Page | Receive the Nondual Highlights each day
#1728 - Thursday, March 11, 2004 - Editor: Jerry
Vicki Woodyard - NDS
http://www.bobwoodyard.com
Until You Have Chosen
Lizelle Reymond wrote a book called To Live Within. It is a
difficult book to understand; I have read through it several
times. It is dry and foreign to the ego. Her guru's
name was Sri Anirvan. He told her that when she knew her
place in the universe, she would leave him. He was a Baul,
one destined for freedom.
Dancing with life can only happen truly when you know your place
in the universe. Your dance will only have beauty and
meaning when you have chosen truth. Until then, you will
partner division and ignorance.
Dancing with life will only have depth when we choose.
Choose to own our beauty, strength and eternal nature.
Others will fear it, hate it and argue against it. So will
we. Something in us knows. Will we recognize it for
what it is?
Spirit demands choice--inner choice which the world does not
require. We must find our ballast, heft and conscience
before we can dance with beauty and meaning. Take it quickly, put
on your shoes and begin.
And the Bauls came
they danced
they sang
And they disappeared
in the mist...
and the house was left empty...the house...
in the mist...
Song murmured by Ramakrishna shortly before he died
Mary Bianco - NDS
Hi Vicki,
I like to read your posts because you write from a kind heart that expresses honesty, vulnerability, humor and deep insights. Meant to send this to you a while ago when you wrote of Kwan Yin on a motorcycle. Your images inspire me. How's Larry?
gotta zoom off to work...love mary
Daily Dharma
"Say for instance, that you're meditating, and a feeling
of anger toward
your mother appears. Immediately, the mind's reaction is to
identify the
anger as 'my' anger, or to say that 'I'm' angry. It then
elaborates on
the feeling, either working it into the story of your
relationship to
your mother, or to your general views about when and where anger
toward
one's mother can be justified. The problem with all this, from
the
Buddha's perspective, is that these stories and views entail a
lot of
suffering. The more you get involved in them, the more you get
distracted from seeing the actual cause of the suffering: the
labels of
'I' and 'mine' that set the whole process in motion. As a result,
you
can't find the way to unravel that cause and bring the suffering
to an
end.
"If, however, you can adopt the emptiness mode -- by not
acting on or
reacting to the anger, but simply watching it as a series of
events, in
and of themselves -- you can see that the anger is empty of
anything
worth identifying with or possessing. As you master the emptiness
mode
more consistently, you see that this truth holds not only for
such gross
emotions as anger, but also for even the most subtle events in
the realm
of experience. This is the sense in which all things are empty.
When you
see this, you realize that labels of 'I' and 'mine' are
inappropriate,
unnecessary, and cause nothing but stress and pain. You can then
drop
them. When you drop them totally, you discover a mode of
experience that
lies deeper still, one that's totally free."
~Thanissaro Bhikkhu
From the article, "Emptiness," from the web site,
"Access To Insight,"
www. accesstoinsight.org/lib/thanissaro/emptiness.html - link
no longer active
Harsha
NDS
If we understand Sri Ramana's teaching, we see that
anything other than what is already here, no matter
how beautiful and captivating, will always turn out to
be a mirage.
A mirage can never satisfy our thirst. Therefore, we
have to understand what is already here. What is
always here?
People speak of being in the present moment. It is
just a way of speaking. How can we be separate from
the moment. We are never in the present moment. We Are
Always The Present Moment.
See that this presence, this ordinary presence, is the
True Presence. This mind, this ordinary mind, is the
Buddha Mind.
Is it possible to truly understand anyone's suffering
other than by reference to one's own? It always comes
back to that.
Is it possible to know anyone else's self without
reference to one's own self?
This is why the ancient sages beautifully declare,
"Know That by which all else is known."
Know That by which all else is known.
Love to all
Harsha
RK Shankar
I AM
http://nonduality.com/shankar.htm
Self-Knowing
4th 5-line verse translated
With the loosening, of the one primal bondage of 'work',
With the springing (into existence), of the one primal loss of
(the) 'birth'
(of the ego),
more than whichever 'that' (non-native) other path (in vogue),
'this' path (of Self-Knowing through Self-Enquiry is) very easy.
'Abiding still seated (in the Self)',
without a little of the 'cause' of the work of body, mind and
speech,
Listen! (there will be) the Light of the Self within, the Eternal
Experience-Knowledge!
(the) Fear (of the ego) will not be, (but, only) the Ocean of
Bliss (of the
Self, will be)!
Yours in Sri Bhagawan
RK Shankar
Ben Hassine
Awakened Awareness
Ribhu Gita - Chapter 26 (cont-d)
UNDIFFERENTIATED ABIDANCE IN THE NONDUAL NATURE
35
That which is verily of the nature of the Supreme Brahman,
Which verily is of the nature of the Supreme Siva,
What verily is of the nature of the immaculate,
What verily is of the nature of the Supreme State,
Which verily is of the nature of the Knowledge of Reality,
And which verily is of the nature of the Supreme Truth --
That, indeed, am I.
By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.
36
That which is verily of the nature of the pure Absolute,
Which verily is of the nature of a mass of Bliss,
Which verily is of the nature of the subtle Supreme,
Which verily is of the nature of the self-luminous,
Which verily is of the nature of the nondual,
And which verily is of the nature of the meaning of the
undifferentiated --
That, indeed, am I.
By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.
37
That which is verily of the nature of Truth,
Which is verily of the nature of the peaceful Absolute,
Which verily is of the nature of the eternal,
Which verily is of the nature of the attributeless,
Which verily is of the nature of the Self,
Which verily is of the nature of the undivided Absolute --
That, indeed, am I.
By such conviction, be in the Bliss of ever being That itself.
Alessandro
NDS
A dialogue from Arjuna, the Anime.
Juna:
Do you know when the food I eat turns into me?
Tokyo:
Of course it happens the moment you eat it.
Juna:
Like when it goes into my mouth?
Or when it goes into my stomach?
Tokiyo:
Well, when it's in your mouth, it's pretty much still just food.
So, maybe when it goes into your stomach?
Juna:
There're foods that come out undigested,
after they go through your stomach.
Tokiyo:
Well, maybe it's when the food gets digested,
and absorbed into your body.
Juna:
When it gets absorbed and becomes blood?
Tokiyo:
Yeah, that's it. Eventually food becomes blood and then flesh.
Juna:
Then, would you say that my blood is me?
If my blood was actually me
and then my blood were to be transfused into you
does that mean I become you?
Tokiyo:
What? Let's see...
Juna:
And what about breath?
When I breathe in and inhale the air around me
the oxygen gets absorbed into my blood
and that becomes a part of me, right?
Then, if I were to exhale and you were to breathe that in
does that mean I become you as well?
Tokiyo:
How could there be something so ridiculous?
I mean, think about it.
Whether it's blood or breath
there's no emotion, no soul or spirit.
Juna:
Soul? If that's the case,where is the soul?
Tokiyo:
Well, that's in the brain or something.
Juna:
Then, any part of me other than my brain is not me?
My arms, legs, stomach and heart are not part of me?
Tokiyo:
Well...
Ciao,
Alessandro
Synopsis of Arjuna:
Now, a miracle is about to be created upon this planet.
Teenage girl Juna Ariyoshi struggles to find her place in the
world,
just as everyone does. But destiny has a special fate in store
for
Juna. After a motorcycle accident leaves her fatally wounded, a
strange
form appears before her and offers to save her life, if she will
take
up his cause and fight against the creatures known only as the
Raaja.
Confused but desperately wanting to live, Juna reluctantly
accepts the
mysterious offer. Now she is reborn as The Avatar of Time; her
mission
is to protect the planet Earth, which is slowly dying. To the
people
around her, including her friend Tokio, Juna doesn't look any
different
-- but she certainly is acting stange. T
hese mysterious creatures prowl the world... strange
incarnates called
Raaja, that take the form of the various contaminates that plague
the
earth. To kill them would be to fall victim to the behavior that
drives
the Raaja. The only way to truly conquer them is by purifying
them, but
how do you purify a faceless, angry beast? With the help of her
friend,
Tokio, will Juna be able to master her new-found powers as the
avatar
of time, and restore a sense of balance between man and nature
before
its too late?
http://shop.hkdvdstore.com/product_info.php?products_id=1092
Sugar Gandolf
NDS
Just an FYI, there has been a single meeting of this group
(see
below) in person so far in NYC (about 15 people showed up to a
Starbucks, I had intended to go but was unable), it got
good "reviews" from some who went. There is a plan for
monthly
meetings, as well as the possibility of attending other events w/
group members, if desired. I'm not interested in it as an email
list, but the social aspect seems unusually promising in a city
where this kind of informal, open meeting of the
"like-minded" (?)
seldom seems to cohere. Take care, su
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nycaware/
text from home page:
Welcome to NYC Aware!
We are a group created for those whom personal growth/spiritual
development is one of the most important aspects of life. What
these
concepts share is the importance of developing and deepening
one's
awareness. NYC Aware was formed as the East Coast counterpart to
the
group SFBay-Aware. Please read this description carefully before
deciding to join.
Has your life been guided, consciously or unconsciously, by these
questions: What do I really want? Am I as happy and emotionally
healthy as I could be? Who am I, really?
Have you embraced psychological and/or spiritual practices such
as
counseling, yoga, spiritual healing, mindfulness meditation, art
therapy, journaling or self-inquiry along your life's journey?
Also:
1. You have probably come to the point where you have recognized
that material or other types of "success" are unlikely
to bring you
the happiness that you are seeking. And you're probably concerned
as
well with what this lifestyle is doing to the planet and your
fellow
humans.
2. You are not all that interested in much of what popular
culture
considers "fun," particularly when it comes to
drinking, smoking,
partying and drugs. You may have tried these but you've realized
that they are not only NOT the answer, but actually an obstacle
to
your deepest desires. And so you have faced any addictive
tendencies
(or are currently doing so), whatever they may be.
3. Kindness, compassion, freedom, peace and simply "being
real" are
words that ring true to your heart, overused as they may be. You
are
constantly seeking to manifest in your life the true meaning
behind
these words.
Finally - you are in search of supportive friends and community
on a
similar path and will give you encouragement and companionship
through it all.
So if you feel that ALL of the above fits you well, then please
join
us! There is no "in crowd" in this group...you are an
equal...welcome!
Note: This is not a "singles group," just a social
group.
We must find our ballast, heft and conscience before we can
dance
with beauty and meaning. --Vicki Woodyard.
Graphic contributed by Su Gandolf
Bob Rose
Meditation Society of America
My name is H-- and I live in the UK (someone has to!) I've
often
thought about meditation but never bothered learn nore. Now I'm
sorry
to say I have an ulteia motive for being here.
My wife has a condition known as CRPS (complex regional pain
syndrome),
its been likened to putting your hand in boiling water and never
being
able to take it out, in her case it is in her leg. Drugs dont
help
much, she is on the strongest possible and she says it only takes
the
edge off. We asked at the pain clinic about meditation and
he said 'it cant hurt'
smilling, but he did not say where or how to learn.
Well thats us and why we are here.
Thanks for letting us join.
Harry
Dear Harry,
I am confident that you and your wife can benefit greatly
from meditation. As an RN, I've had the experience of seeing a
patients
pain go away just by distracting them by talking about something
they
are interested in. I particularly remember watching as a nurse
chatted
with the patient whose pain was the hardest for us to control
chemically, about the local baseball team, and the patient
comnpletely
forgetting the pain. This connects with Sandeep's correct
observation
that pain can be very associated and primed by the mind, as well
as
physically.
On our web site, Meditation Station, we have a good healing
technique
that has been used successfully by many, and can be found on many
other
sites as well (like the physicians againstpain site), that has a
pain
relief component in it. Here's the URL:
http://www.meditationsociety.com/week29.html
We also have a Guided Meditation CD that I will be glad to
mail you
that has 7 different guided techniques which will be able to
teach your
wife how to meditate as well as let her guide and control her
attention
towards the objects of her meditation and away from her pain.
Just
email me with a mailing address, and I'll send it right out. The
Email
# is: medit8@meditationsociety.com
In any event, I feel you both will be pleased by the results
you get
from meditation in dealing with pain. It also has the potential
to let
you find the root causes of stressors that affect one daily and
prevent
the calm that allows our mind and emotions, as well as our body,
to
flow functionally with maximum wellness. And, as you were told,
it
can't hurt :-) I wish you both all good.
Peace and blessings, Bob
Harsha http://www.omshaantih.com/Harsha/Guru%20is%20Grace.html
A True Guru is like a bridge. One end of the bridge invites one to use one's energy and start walking (that is the method). The other end of the bridge invites one to rest (that is the goal). The last step is not easy and so there is the Guru existing as the bridge inviting us to take it, to take the last step and to see with our own eyes, our own true nature. Faith and trust are helpful at some stage. To allow for that faith to flower is Grace. Guru is Grace.
Announcing
Anqa Publishing
http://www.ibn-arabi.com/index.htm
Anqa Publishing is dedicated to bringing out the works of the great Andalusian mystic, Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi (1165–1240), and his line. These writings contain some of the most beautiful and comprehensive depictions of the vision of One Reality in all its facets.
Our aim is to produce:
• High-quality translations of these classic texts, most of
which have never appeared before in Western languages.
• New and authoritative editions of the Arabic texts, using
the best manuscripts available.
• Contemporary writings and studies of Ibn 'Arabi's teaching